After Michelle Agard tested positive for the coronavirus, doctors told her to stop breastfeeding her newborn infant.
To date, Powell has personally collected more than 50 samples of breast milk, and her lab's received more than 800 samples. She tries to keep the milk collection contactless as she travels from home to home. "Antibody responses tend to linger for a really long time, especially if it was from an infection," she said."So like if you were infected with measles as a child, you're basically immune for the rest of your life."Rebecca first studied the transmission of HIV through breast milk. That led her to study it for the flu, and now the coronavirus. So far, 80% of the survivors she's tested had coronavirus antibodies in their breast milk.
Some mothers continued to breastfeed after testing positive for the coronavirus.Research shows breast milk prevents diseases and viruses in infants. But less than half the babies in the United States are breastfed exclusively, mostly due to negative perceptions and a lack of understanding of its benefits, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.That was the case for Aimee Parow and her daughter, Layla.
Agard said doctors told her to stop breastfeeding her newborn and 1-year-old child because at the time, it wasn't known whether the virus could be transmitted via breast milk. "I was just really happy that it was in my breast milk because I know I can't give my blood to my children, but I know that I could give them my breast milk. So I was excited about that," Agard said.It's important to note that having antibodies in breast milk does not mean it guarantees immunity against the coronavirus for children.
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